The invention generally relates to a microscope with a dimmer which is associated with a light source used for the purpose of illumination in the microscope.
Microscopes having a dimmer for adjusting the intensity of illuminating light are already known, and the recent trend is to introduce a dimmer incorporating a thyrister, such as an SCR, a silicon controlled rectifier element, etc., so that the brightness of the light source may be adjusted in a continuous manner. The prior practice to install such electrical components used in the dimmer and/or associated circuit has been to mount these components directly in the interior volume of the base of the microscope in spite of the degree of complexity involved. Thus the individual components are mounted in the interior volume of the base one by one while the base is held in an inverted position. This type of base mounting is cumbersome and a disadvantage in the mass production of microscopes. In addition, where a failure occurs in the dimmer or associated circuit, the whole microscope must be again held in an inverted position in order to permit an examination of the individual components. In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that there is a need in the prior art for a dimmer which overcomes the inconveniences mentioned above.